Garment supporting structure



April 30, 1957 H. NEMETH 2,790,557

GARMENT SUPPORTING STRUCTURE Filed June 21,1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 19632677, ZVmeZA ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,790,557 GARMENT SUPPORTING STRUCTURE Helen Nemeth, Lawndale, Calif.

Application June 21, 1954, Serial No. 438,149

Claims. (Cl. 211-89) 7 This invention relates to a novel garments supporting structure primarily adapted for supporting a plurality of pairs of trousers or a plurality of skirts, in a conveniently accessible manner whereby the individual garments may be readily selected and removed from the supporting structure or applied thereto.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment supporting structure which will support a plurality of garments within a very limited area yet in a manner so that the individual garments will be prevented from becoming wrinkled and so that wrinkles will be removed from the garments due to the weight thereof and by means of the manner in which the garments are suspended.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a garment support having a plurality of individually mounted garment engaging units which are selectively movable on the support relatively to other garment engaging units and which may be readily removed from the remainder of the support with a garment suspended thereby or applied to the support while applied to a garment.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, illustrating presently preferred embodiments thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is atop plan view, partly broken away and partly in horizontal section, showing one form of the garment support; 7

Figure 2 is a front elevational View of the garment supporting bracket of Figure .1 and .showing all but one of the individual. garment supporting unitsremoved therefrom;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3--3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 1, and showing a garment in section engaged in one of the individual garment supporting units; 2

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detailed cross sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by thevline 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of another embodiment of the garment support;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary end elevational view thereof; Figure 8 is a fragmentary top plan view, partly broken away, of the garment support as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, and

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view thereof,-taken substantially along ;a plane as -in- 'dicated by the line 9-9 of Figure -8.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, and first with reference to "the embodiment of the invention as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, the garment support as illustrated in these views and comprising one'form ofthe' invention is designated generally 12 and includesa supporting bracket, designated generally- 13, anda plurality of individual garment supporting units, each-designated gen erally' -14.

2,790,557 Ce li'fatented Apr. 30, 1957 u p rt nabraslsstli om s. s n ed tr p f. havi a.absi ntia y s pla ar and PQI Qn' I' s f' provi d'w t ne r mor a en n receiving openings 15a. Said strip includes anar'cuate'ly bowed elongated intermediate portion 16 extendingfbd tween the end portions 15 and constituting the majoriportion of the strip. Said arcuately bowed strip portion 16 isprovi-ded with an elongated slot 17 which ex'tends to adjacent the ends thereofand which is preferably spaced equal distances from the two longitudinal edges of "the strip. The slot 1 7-'d ivides a s ubstanti al pa' rt of thearcuate strip portio'nflfi into a appears and a bottom part'19,

which parts18 and 19 have substantially parallel inii'r opposed'longitudinal edges Il'dgz andlgrz, respectively, defining the side edges of the notch 17. The bracketen'ds 15 are adapted tobedisposed flush against a face of an upright supporting member 20, such as the inner side of a closet door and are secured thereto by headed fasten ings 15a, the shanks of which extend inwardly through openings in the bracket ends 15 and are anchored in the member 20. The bracket 13 is thus mounted with its longitudinal axis in substantially a horizontal plane and with the arcuate intermediate portion 16 thereof bowed outwardly and away frorn'the supporting member 20.

The individual garment supporting units are all identical, and a description of one will sulfiee for all. Each of said units '14 includes a shank 22 having a pair of crossarms 23 extending transversely therethrough and projecting in opposite directions therefrom. The c ossarms 23 are disposed in spaced'apart relation to one asother and may be either suitably'secured to or formed integral with said shank portion 22 and haveends spaced substantially equal distances fromthe axis of said shank portion. An outer end of the shank 'portion' 22' t'eriii'imates in a restricted shank end 24, the plane of which is disposed parallel to thefaxes of the cross arms 23, The

remainder of the shank portion22 may be of circular" cross section, as illustrated in Figure 5, except thatdia' metrically opposite parts thereo'f'disposed' between the crossarins 23 are preferably built' up to providesub stantially flat surfaces 25, asseen in Figure '5, which are spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of the remainder of the shank portion located adjacent the cross arms' 23 and greater than the diameter of the shank portion as measured in a direction parallel to "said surfaces 25. The cro'ssarnis 23 each preferably comprises a red of circular cross section and'said crossarms' are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the thickness 'ofthe bracketportion 16f Each unit 14 also includes a pair of elongated resilient garment engaging strips 26 and 27' having complementary inner ends which are disposed against opposite sides of the restricted shank end 24 and which are secured thereto by suitable fastening means 28, with the terminal portions of said ends abutting transverse shoulders 2% of the shank portion 22 for maintaining the strips 26 and 27 against swinging movement relatively to the shank portio'ri'22'. The strips 26 and 27 are preferably provided with rounded outer free ends 26a and 27a and the strip 26 isprefe'r'ably somewhat longer than the strip 27 so that 'its end'26a' openinghook 33 engages over the strips 26 and 27"ad;- I

jaeent their ends 264; and gja for latching said strip ands together in positions adjacently disposed relatively to one another. The latch 30 may be swung upwardly and inwardly on its pivot 32 fromits full line to its dotted line position of Figure 3, in which dotted line position the latch is released, so that the strip ends 26a and 27a may be displaced away from one another, as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure l. A pivot element 34 extends turnably through the shank end of a hook 35 and is anchored to the strip 26, intermediate of the ends of said strip, for swingably supporting the hook 35 on the outer side of the strip 26. The hook 335 is normally disposed in its full line inoperative position of Figure 3, longitudinally of the strip 26, when not in use.

.From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that each individual garment supporting unit 14 may be detachably applied to the bracket 13 by positioning the crossarms thereof parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot 17 and then inserting the shank portion 22 and the crossarm 23 thereof, located remote from the strips 26 and 27, inwardly through the slot 17 from the convex toward the concave side of the bracket portion 16. When the shank portion 22 is disposed so that one c'rossarm 23 is on the inner side of the bracket portion 16 and the other crossarm is on the outer side thereof, the garment supporting unit 14 is rotated a quarter of a turn about its longitudinal axis to position the complementary ends of the crossarms 23 in positions straddling the upper and lower strip portions 18 and 19. The strip forming the bracket 13 is constructed of a material having sufiicient resiliency so that said portions .18 and 19 may flex toward straight line positions to allow the ends of the crossarms to assurne positions crosswise thereof, as seen in Figures 1, 2 and 3, from their positions parallel to said portions 18 and 19, as illustrated in Figure 5. Therounded cross sectional shape of the crossarms 23 assists in guiding said crossarm ends into engagementwith opposite sides of the bracket portions 18 and 19 and when disposed crosswise thereof, the normally bowed shape of said bracket portions 18 and 19 tends to resist turning movement of the parts from their applied positions of Figures 1 t0 3 back to their released position of Figure 5. Additionally, the opposite flat surfaces 25 of the shank portion 22 are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the width of the slot 17 so that a portion of the edges 18a and 19a are sprung slightly away from one another when in engagement with the fiat surfaces 25 to thereby additionally resist turning movement of the shank 22 from its position of Figures 1 to 3, back to its released position of Figure 5. When the garment supporting unit 14- is applied to and supported on the bracket 13 the latch is either disposed in a released position above the strips 26 and 27 thereof or in a latch position with its hook 33 engaging over the upper edges of said strips 26 and 27. It will be readily apparent that any desired number of individual garment supporting units 1.4 may be applied to the bracket 13, in the same manner as previously described, and while in applied positions may be slid longitudinally of the bracket 13 for varying the spacing between the units 14. It will also be apparent that the units 14 may be individually removed from the bracket 13 and certain of the units 14 may be slidably adjusted on the bracket 13 to afford sufiicient space for applying the units 14 to said bracket 'or for removing a selective unit therefrom.

With the units 14 in applied positions, the latch 30 of a selected unit may be swung'to a released position. The strips 26 and 27 are sufficiently resilient so as to be capable of being sprung away from one another, and the end 26a of any unit 14 is disposed beyond the strip end 27a of the same unit, so that it can be readily engaged with the thumb or finger for displacing the strip 26 away from the strip 27 to insert a garment between the strips or to remove a garment therefrom. After applying a garment between the strips, the garment can be engaged and held with one hand and the free ends of the strips 26 and 27 will be spring biased back toward one another and so that the other hand may be used for gripping the free ends 26a and 27a of said strips and for returning the latch 32 to its full line latching position of Figure 3 for clamping the garment between the strips 26 and 27. A garment such as a skirt, an upper portion 36 of which is illustrated in Figure 4, is normally clamped with the strips 26 and 27 disposed beneath and adjacent the waistband 37of the garment. The legs of a pair of trousers, not shown, are normally clamped beneath and adjacent the trouser leg cuffs. It will be apparent that a garment may be applied to or removed from any one of the units 14 while said unit is mounted on the bracket 13 or may be applied to a unit 14 while removed from the bracket 13 and said unit thereafter applied to the bracket while the garment is supported thereby, or removed from the bracket while supporting a garment.

Where desired as after pressing a garment and after the unit 14 has been attached thereto, the book 35 may be swun'g upwardly to its full line position of Figure 3 for temporarily suspending the unit 14 and the garment attached thereto from a rod or other supporting element until it is convenient to reapply said unit with the garment supported thereby to the bracket 13.

The garment support 12 as previously described and illustrated in Figures 1 to-S, is primarily adapted for home use, as will readily be apparent. Figures 6 to 9, inclusive, disclose another embodiment of the garment support, designated generally 38. The garment support 38 includes a stand, designated generally 39. The stand 39 includes two upright end posts or standards, each designated generally 40, and each including a lower tubular post section 41 and an upper post or standard section 42 which telescope into the lower standard section 41 and which extends from the upper end thereof. Each standard section 41, near its upper end, has a thumbscrew 43 threaded radially into the bore thereof and which may be tightened to clamp the upper standard section 42 in any desired extended position relatively to the lower standard section 41. The upper endsof the upper standard sections 42 are provided with upwardly opening notches 44 and said upper standard sections are clamped by the thumbscrews 43 to position the notches 44 in alignment with one another. r

The standards 40 are connected in spaced apart substantially parallel relationship to one another by a rigid brace 45 which extends between and is secured at its ends to lower portions of the sections 41, or which may be formed integral therewith. Each standard 40 includes a pair of legs 46 which are fixed to. and extend outwardly in opposite directions from the lower end of the standard section 41 thereof. The legs 46 have downturned outer ends terminating in foot members 47 which are adapted to rest on a suitable horizontal supporting surface 48. The legs 46 are disposed substantially at right angles to the brace 45 and crosswise of the stand 39.

The stand 39 also includes a bracket, designated generally 49. The bracket 49 includes a pair of elongated strips 50. The strips 50 are connected'in spaced apart substantially parallel relationship to one another by crossheads 51 which are secured to the ends of said strips. The crossheads 51 have studs 52 of noncircular cross section projecting outwardly therefrom and which are disposed in alignment with one another. Said studs 52 are spaced apart a proper distance to engage in the upwardly opening notches 44 and fit non-turnably therein, as illustrated in Figure 7, to'prevent the bracket 49 from rotating in said notches 44 when supported by the standards 40.

Each of thestrips 5i is provided with a slot 53 which extends longitudinally thereof and which providesstrip portions 54 and 55, disposed above and beneath the slot 53, respectively. The. slot 53 substantially corresponds to the slot 17 and the strip portions 54 and 55 substan- .tially correspond to the strip portions 18 and 19, except that said strip portions 54 and 55 are illustrated as being substantially straight from end-to-end thereof.

The stand 39 is adapted to support a plurality of individual garment supporting units, each designated generally 56, a plurality of which may be mounted on each of the bracket strips 50. The individual garment supporting units 56 correspond identically with the garment supporting units 14 and a detail description thereof is therefore considered unnecessary. The individual garment supporting units 56 are mounted in the slots 53 in the same manner that the garment supporting units 14 are mounted in the slot 17. However, as the strip portions 54 and 55 are not longitudinally bowed the crossarms of the units 56 do not function with said strips to resist turning movement of the units 56 toward a released position of the crossarms relatively to the slots 53, as previously described in reference to the support 12. Otherwise, the units 56 function with the bracket strips 50 in the same manner that the units 14 function with the bracket 13. Likewise, the units 56 function in connection wtih garments supported thereby, in the same manner as the units 14. It will likewise be readily apparent that the strips 50 could be outwardly bowed relatively to one another between their supporting crossheads 51, in which case said strips 50 would correspond in every respect with the bracket portion 16.

It will be obvious that any number of the supporting units 56 may be mounted on and selectively removed from either side of the bracket 49, so that the garment support 38 ideally adapts itself to commercial use in clothing stores, tailor shops or similar establishments.

Various other modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A garment support comprising an elongated strip defining a supporting bracket having a slot formed therein and extending longitudinally thereof, said slot being spaced from and disposed between longitudinal edges of said strip, means supporting said strip with the longitudinal axis thereof in substantially a horizontal plane and with the plane of said strip disposed substantially vertical; a plurality of individual garment supporting units each detachably and adjustably supported on said bracket strip, each of said unitsincluding a shank portion constituting an inner end of the unit of a cross sectional size to turnably and slidably fit in said slot, a pair of longitudinally spaced crossarms fixed to and extending through said shank portion and each having a cross sectional size less than the cross sectional size of said shank portion to pass freely through said slot when disposed longitudinally thereof, said crossarms being spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the bracket strip for close fitting straddling engagement with upper and lower portions of the strip when a part of the shank portion is disposed in said slot for mounting said unit on the bracket, a pair of elongated garment clamping strips having inner ends secured to an end of said shank portion and supported thereby substantially in alignment with the shank portion, said strips being adapted to receive therebetween a portion of a garment to be supported by said unit, said strips having opposite free ends, and a latch element releasably latching said strips together adjacent their free ends and cooperating with said shank portion to maintain the strips substantially parallel to one another and in a garment clamping position.

2. A garment support as in claim 1, said slotted portion of the bracket forming strip being longitudinally bowed, said strip including substantially coplanar end portions adapted to be disposed against an upright supporting surface with said slotted portion bowed outwardly from the supporting surface, and said means comprising fastenings extending through said strip ends and anchored in the upright supporting surface for mounting the bracket strip thereon.

3. A garment support as in claim 2, said crossarms being of circular cross section, and said slotted strip portion being relatively resilient whereby said strip portion is flexed by swinging movement of the crossarms into and out of straddling relationship to the slotted strip portion for yieldably and frictionally retaining the crossarms in straddling engagement with the slotted strip portion.

4. A garment support as in claim 1, said shank portion having oppositely disposed substantially flat faces disposed between the complementary ends of said crossarms and spaced apart a distance greater than the width of the remainder of said shank portion and slightly greater than the width of said slot, and said bracket strip being formed of a resilient material whereby the strip portions located on opposite sides of said slot are capable of being sprung away from one another to receive said fiat surfaces of the shank portion therebetween and for resiliently engaging said faces.

5. A garment support as in claim 4, said means comprising an elongated substantially upright stand having an upper part in which said strip is supported.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 109,648 Myers Nov. 29, 1870 422,056 Martin Feb.,25, 1890 546,492 Millert Sept. 17, 1895 690,373 Nicewaner Dec. 31, 1901 724,427 Bonsall Apr. 7, 1903 1,497,209 Chapman June 10, 1924 1,776,417 Cosgrove Sept. 23, 1930 1,852,514 Grady Apr. 5, 1932 2,213,537 Stevens Sept. 3, 1940 2,431,976 Ajax Dec. 2, 1947 2,465,859 Fidler Mar. 29, 1949 

